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From Isaac Job, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State Internal Revenue Service (AKIRS) said it would commence full digitalisation of all tax collection and other revenue processes in the state with effect from the 2025 fiscal year.
Addressing a press conference in Uyo on Sunday, the Executive Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Revenue Service, Mr Okon Okon, said the decision was part of the highlights of a two-day Strategic Session for the 2025 fiscal year organised by the revenue board to appraise their responsibilities and projections in the years ahead.
Okon explained that the board, in its bid to boost revenue generation in the state, plans to roll out electronic assessment, e-tax clearance processes, e-filing of tax returns, and automation of registration and reporting processes.
“We are pleased to inform our public that we will be speeding up on our digitalisation programme next year by further expanding the automation of our processes and deepening our data-driven initiatives.
“This is to significantly improve our operational efficiency and increase the state’s IGR without increasing any tax rate.
“We are confident that without increasing any tax rate, the IGR of our state would be improved via the application of technology, increased tax awareness campaigns, and the expansion of the tax net to capture tax evaders.
“Therefore, our focus for the next fiscal year would be to transform our processes from a semi-manual system to full automation. We intend to achieve an end-to-end automation of all our tax processes.
“AKIRS plans to roll out electronic assessment, e-tax clearance processes, e-filing of tax returns, and the automation of registration, collection, and reporting processes with the ultimate aim of enhancing efficiency in revenue collection, taxpayers’ experience, and minimisation of human interference.”
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While assuring that the revenue service would be cautious not to embark on any initiatives that will scuttle business growth or create unnecessary burdens on individual taxpayers, Okon said that the board will upscale its ongoing tax sensitisation and enlightenment campaign to raise awareness of tax payment as a civic responsibility and deepen voluntary compliance in the state.
He said Akwa Ibom has been performing creditably well in its revenue profile over the years, adding that the state’s IGR rose from ₦34.75 billion in 2022 to ₦43.18 billion in 2023, as indicated in the figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics and Joint Tax Board, the apex body for tax authorities and the final authority for reporting tax revenues in Nigeria.
He also disclosed that the state ranked among the top 10 in IGR performance in Nigeria in 2023, coming fourth among the nine states of the Niger Delta in the recently released ranking published by the NBS.
“Our IGR trend shows significant and steady growth, with about 170 per cent increase over the past six years, rising from ₦15.96 billion in 2017 to ₦43.18 billion in 2023,” Okon said.
He attributed the impressive growth to “significant governance reforms by the state government, improvement in corporate governance, and operational processes by the board, and the business-enabling environment created by the administration of Governor Umo Eno.”
On tax evasion by International Oil Companies (IOCs), Okon disclosed that Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, operating in the state, has improved and remitted its taxes to the government as and when due.
He said other oil firms could not pay their taxes because of pending litigations and hoped that when those cases are disposed of by the courts, the affected oil companies will remit their taxes accordingly.
“On other oil companies operating in the state who could not remit their taxes because of pending court cases, I hope that when such cases are disposed of by the courts, the affected oil firms will do the needful,” he said.
